English as an Additional Language (EAL)

At Callington Primary School, a total of 9 different languages are spoken so far! At CPS we acknowledge the value of children being fluent in more than one language and the additional dimension it brings to children's social and cultural development. Our 'Language of the month' initiative celebrates this diversity.

Cornish Basics

Cornish for Young People

Children throughout the School have the opportunity to explore other languages and learn and practise basic vocabulary such as greetings and numbers, these are often modelled by other children or adults within our community.

We carefully monitor and track the progress of pupils with EAL to ensure they are not disadvantaged and recognise that a number of our children require additional support to acquire the same competence in English as in their home language(s). This support is provided in class through carefully differentiated work and, where appropriate, through the additional support.

For any new arrivals we set up buddy systems to ensure new children have a peer to help them acclimatise to their new surroundings. All classrooms have visual labels to ensure children can find objects and resources to support their learning. We will also utilise dictionaries, books and resources in a child’s first language during the initial stages of the transition into the school.

When new bilingual children join our school, they are referred to the Equality and Diversity Service, Cornwall. Through this service, meetings for children, parents, class teachers and interpreters can be arranged to help support your child’s transition into our school.